Check out "Pastel Portraits: Images of 18th-Century Europe," a French exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

This exhibit showcases the popularity of pastel painting throughout 18th century Europe, which blossomed in Paris during the early 1720s.

It features an extraordinary repertoire of classics as well as an examination of pastel techniques, preservation, growing popularity in France, and prominent financiers, including Pierre Crozat and Louis XV (via Metropolitan Museum of Art).